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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mark — a trace
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. ground — a position
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stem — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com